After leaving the Mu family home, Mu Shi'an went straight back to his own house.
It was already past quitting time. The hired helpers had all gone home, leaving the courtyard in silence.
Mu Shi'an picked up the tools from the ground and started working, planing the wood with strokes that grew increasingly forceful.
This was the scene Song Nianchu came upon when she caught up with him.
His expression was actually quite calm; you couldn't even tell he was angry at that moment. Yet, the veins on his arms were bulging, his thin lips were pressed tightly together, and his whole body was taut like a tightly drawn bowstring.
Song Nianchu felt a pang of heartache. Although their life together was quite good now, at the very beginning, he hadn't known her at all.
He had no idea what her true nature was. Even so, he had been willing to marry into her family for the sake of his sister.
He had risked everything just to protect his sister, only for her to end up wanting to marry the very man who had brought ruin upon their family.
Not to mention Mu Shi'an, even she, as an outsider, felt a surge of anger just watching it unfold.
"Working that hard, do you have a grudge against that piece of wood?" Song Nianchu stepped forward and stopped Mu Shi'an's movements.
Mu Shi'an's pupils trembled slightly.
"Alright, weren't you quite eloquent when you spoke to your mother earlier? Since you've already thought things through so clearly, why are you taking it out on yourself now?" Song Nianchu took the plane from his hand.
"I was just thinking... I knew my mother wasn't a good influence, yet I didn't insist on taking Jingmei to live with my grandfather back then." Mu Shi'an's voice was slightly hoarse as he said this.
Mu Jingmei had been really adorable as a child. He had started his formal education at three and had a heavy load of studies every day.
After Mu Jingmei was born, she would often ask him if he was tired and would even give him massages.
When he was punished by his grandfather to kneel in the ancestral hall, she would secretly bring him food.
Later, as his studies became increasingly demanding, he had fewer chances to talk with her. He didn't know when exactly her way of thinking had changed.
"You're just her brother. There are many things you couldn't decide. Moreover, sometimes a person's nature is determined even before they're born. Even if you had kept your sister by your side and temporarily suppressed her inherent tendencies, given the right trigger later on, they would still have surfaced," Song Nianchu soothed.
"I just hope she won't regret it herself." Mu Shi'an lowered his dark eyes.
Song Nianchu didn't respond to that.
Because she was ninety percent certain that Mu Jingmei would definitely regret it. Not a single person in Yang Dafu's family was easy to deal with.
"......"
Yang Dafu was very efficient. In less than three days, he had transferred Mu Jingmei's household registration to their village.
Fortunately, they were in the same production brigade, so transferring the registration wasn't too difficult, especially since the reason given was marriage.
On the very day Mu Jingmei's registration was transferred, the Yang family held a wedding banquet. Yang Dafu even had the shameless audacity to invite Mu Shi'an and his family to the feast, but he was directly driven out by Mu Deyi.
Watching Yang Dafu leave, Song Nianchu's gaze turned somber. Mu Jingmei would probably have a tough time today. A wedding banquet without the support of the bride's family was bound to attract a lot of gossip.
But Song Nianchu didn't have the energy to worry about whether Mu Jingmei was having a hard time or not. There was a mountain of tasks in the village; she wished she could be in multiple places at once.
A month later, the small workshop was finally completed. Being only a single story, it was built quickly.
Song Nianchu also had Mu Shi'an carve a plaque for her that read "Qing He Yuan" (Clear River Source) and hung it up.
That very afternoon, Song Nianchu led Aunt Wu and the others in moving all their equipment to the new workshop.
"It feels so much more spacious now!" Hua looked around the brand-new workshop, her heart filled with joy.
"This stove is also built exceptionally well. Cooking will definitely be more comfortable here." Aunt Wu tried out the space in front of the new stove.
"This washing area is also very spacious. We won't have to squat on the ground anymore." The others looked towards the washing station in the corner.
"Ah-Chu, the layout here is really fantastic. The whole workflow is like a straight line." Hua marveled at the design.
Looking at all this, a complex emotion stirred in Meng Yingying's eyes, making her once again wonder if Song Nianchu was also a reborn person.
After all, an ordinary person couldn't have come up with these things.
"I learned this from the county town. The kitchen in the state-run restaurant has a similar work station setup," Song Nianchu explained with a smile.
Hearing this, Meng Yingying lowered her eyes and smiled again. She must have been half-asleep to start doubting Song Nianchu once more.
"Alright, everyone will work here from now on. If there's anything uncomfortable or unsuitable, please speak up. We can still make adjustments," Song Nianchu announced.
"Okay!" everyone nodded in unison.
With the fish canning workshop gradually getting on track, there weren't many areas left for Song Nianchu to manage directly. She began thinking about developing a new product line.
That afternoon, she prepared to go with Wu Gang and the others to the county town to research the market.
She wanted to see what people liked and what was currently in short supply.
Little did she know this trip would stir up quite a bit of trouble.
Song Nianchu first spent half a day observing at the state-run restaurant, then another half-day near the supply and marketing cooperative, and even wandered around nearby factories.
Her legs were aching from all the walking, but she still hadn't had any concrete ideas. She decided to come back and explore more the next day.
Just as she was about to head home, passing by a lane entrance, an elderly woman with graying hair suddenly rushed out.
Song Nianchu couldn't dodge in time and collided with her. The old woman immediately fell to the ground, crying out in pain.
"Madam, are you alright?" Song Nianchu hurried forward to help.
But the old woman grabbed her wrist tightly.
"Someone, come quick! This person knocked me over, she broke my leg!" The old woman's loud voice quickly drew the attention of some passersby.
The concern Song Nianchu initially felt vanished the moment she saw the cunning glint in the old woman's eyes.
She had run into a scam artist.
"Oww, my old bones are shattered... my leg, my back..." Seeing the crowd gathering, the old woman immediately began wailing more dramatically.
"Young comrade, why weren't you watching where you were going? This elder is so old, a collision like this could easily fracture her bones," onlookers, deceived by the old woman's convincing performance, began to chastise Song Nianchu.
A flash of triumph crossed the old woman's eyes. She thought this young girl would surely deny it, and then she could add more fuel to the fire, ensuring she'd squeeze every last penny out of her today.
But the next moment, Song Nianchu spoke up with an apologetic expression.
"I'm truly very sorry. I was lost in thought and didn't notice you, which is why I accidentally bumped into you. Please rest assured, I will take full responsibility. I'll take you to the hospital right now. Even if it bankrupts me, I'll make sure you're properly treated!"
The old woman was momentarily speechless, her prepared script forgotten. Why wasn't this young girl following the usual playbook?
